Chapter 26 - Blood and Thunder
There was a price to pay for complacency.
Not that he was complacent, but it sure seemed as if the thestral across the arena from him was. At first he had thought it odd that a thestral would be here, but he was grateful that he had not been seeing things the entire time when he thought he spotted leathery wings. Then he smelled it. Having not partaken of his blood vials in nearly six days, he had been quite hungry. Nowhere close to where the urges would become a serious problem, but enough that his body started looking for food even if he had been putting the thoughts at the back of his mind. He could hear the blood pumping in the veins of his erstwhile comrades on his team for the melee clearly now, their different rates betraying the individuals’ state of unease at their circumstances. He could smell the differing aromas from the innumerable minor cuts and congealed scabs from those around him and those further away. It was then he began picking out familiar scents, at once questioning the logic of being able to distinguish blood scents and, at the same time, not caring when he picked out the familiar scent of the thestral.
He knew her. This was the thestral from the train and from that day in Canterlot. She was the one who had bitten him, the one who had turned him.
He was not angry. In fact, he was ecstatic - ask and ye shall receive and all that. He never thought God would throw him a bone and send not one but two major names on his own shit list, but here they were. First there was Blueblood and now this thestral. A part of him, an old part, worried away at the back of his mind like a dog chewing on an old piece of rope, concerned at Handy's worrying change of perspective. She had cursed him, true, but was he really looking forward to violently assaulting a woman? Gleeful, even, at the prospect? He quashed the thought, but not without some trouble. This was a tournament after all, a fight. He had already overcome this hang-up when it had been necessary before, and he would do it again if he had to. Considering the crime this thestral had done to him, he would certainly do it now.
"—against the deer. Are you listening, Milesian?"
"Pardon?" Handy turned to his teammates, focusing on the literally emerald-eyed yellow pegasus who was busy drawing out a battle plan on the ground with her hoof.
"I asked if you were listening. You are to attack the deer first, understood?" she stated, her face an emotionless mask. It was strange seeing her without the shaffron to cover her face. He wasn't sure if that made her face more unnerving or less so. Those damned eyes...
"Understood. Right," Handy acknowledged with a wave of his hand, eliciting a tsk from the pony.
"I do not see why we are relying on the human for anything. In fact, I don't even need the rest of you; just let me handle all of them." Handy looked up at the owner of the voice. The same arrogant, furious eyes of the dragon glared daggers down at the human. He smiled uncertainly at the creature from beneath his helmet. He had lucked out big time when the lots had put the beast on his team. The idea of pitched battle with that thing on the opposing team and gunning for him when his back was turned was... unappealing. Still, he might just need to watch his back anyway given the evil looks the lizard was sending his way.
"Forgive me, but were you not having difficulties of your own in your last bout? You did, after all, suffer a potentially dangerous injury," came the surprisingly erudite tones of the armoured diamond dog on their team. He was around the average size for a dog, built like a brick shit house, and was about five foot five in height. All in all, nothing like the beast of a canine Rex had been all the way back at the mine. Handy couldn’t make out his face behind the primitive bucket helm.
"A lucky shot," Ferix said as he unconsciously rubbed the side of his neck where there appeared to be a light gash, something that would be horrifically worrying for anyone who, you know, wasn't a dragon.
'I wonder what dragon would taste like...' Handy idly wondered before blinking and turning away, looking across the arena floor to the far gate and the opposing team. There was Whirlwind alongside that thestral, laughing jubilantly at something. There was a griffon there with black, painted armour and a full-face helm. Handy couldn't see his face, but he recognised him as that mean-looking griffon he had spotted on the first day. There was also that weird sphinx pony thing from before. He ignored the back and forth of his teammates, and the stare of the dragon, in favour of studying his opponents, the thestral in particular.
He realised then that he didn't exactly know her name. It was no matter, really. He looked up at the spectator towers looming over them as the lightest of drizzles fell from the sky, the remnants of the earlier rain. He had performed well enough, he supposed, and he had gotten this far in the tournament, win or lose. He had gotten what he wanted by coming here, and Gethrenia could hold its head high since its representative hadn’t been a complete scrub who had gotten wiped out earlier in the tournament. All that meant was that he didn’t have to worry about winning this little show so long as he got close enough to the bat pony. Joachim was probably up there with the local king.
He realized, upon noting one of the towers was particularly gaudy and had an abundance of armed guards flying above it, that they were probably here to watch the last bout of the tournament. He decided he was going to go meet his king immediately after to catch up and to also give the poor bastard an excuse to get away from Goldtooth.
--=--
“—and the look on Thunderstorm’s face was priceless! He couldn’t believe the princess would blithely refuse his offer. I mean, it benefits me that she does not agree, of course, but you could tell he had spent hours, if not days, mulling over that proposal, and in seconds, his hopes were torn to tatters! Oh, I got a few laughs out of that after the negotiations. We all did, isn’t that right, dear boy?”
“Hm? Oh yes, quite. Very politics, much negotiation.”
“Exactly! Now where was I? Oh yes! Now, I don’t know if it can be done or not, but I am investigating into the possibility of changing the colour of the rain. I am having the Firthengarian weather company look into research, and I was thinking….”
Joachim tuned him out. He was a tad distracted, and quite frankly, he was glad King Goldtooth had somegriffon else to talk to. Glancing briefly, he noticed it was a pair of knights who were now suffering the king’s hot air: his own in the form of Tanismore, who was slightly slumped up against his halberd, and the king’s own knight named Lightning, or so he believed. No matter. “Don’t mind him.” He turned to the voice. “He’s in a good mood for once despite hating festivals, and I’d like him to stay that way.”
“I had no intention of doing anything that might upset him, I assure you,” Johan replied. Princess Karlina Goldtooth smiled at him and turned her attention back to the tournament below.
“I’ve never been to one of these before. This is exciting!” the silver-feathered griffon said. She was just a shave taller than the young king, with a dark brown coat like the bark of an oak and a white plume at the tip of her tail. Fierce blue feathers framed surprisingly gentle golden eyes that sparkled with curiosity. Johan frowned at her words.
“Surely you’ve been to festivals before?”
“A few times when I was younger, but never a tournament. Mother doesn’t really approve; she’d rather I spend most of my days studying.”
“Well that’s a shame,” Joachim responded, remembering the fierce, strict griffon who had elected to remain in Ironcrest while her husband took half the court to the tournament finale, “especially considering I have you to thank for being able to get out of that castle in the first place.”
“Oh, think nothing of it. It does him good to get out once in a while. He’s just a tad stubborn as I am sure you found out,” she said openly with a chuckle. Joachim gave a sideways glance at the griffon in question, who was still busy talking the heads off the beleaguered warriors. Joachim, though he’d never admit it, was not the quickest on the uptake as Handy was keen to remind him in private. That said, Goldtooth was being blatantly obvious about his intentions here. He only ever left the young king alone when his daughter was in the room and talking to him. He also spoke fondly of her qualities in her absence, oftentimes at that. The subtle implications, the occasional probing question into Joachim’s private life - strictly king to king and griffon to griffon of course, nothing too prying – was all too apparent.
He supposed he should have seen this coming. Ivorybeak had been trying to talk about it. A young, unmarried king of Gethrenia? Opportunity! Traditionally, the kingdom of Gethrenia was not the most militarily powerful, nor was it the richest in natural resources in the High Kingdom. What it lacked in terms of hard power, it made up for with soft, clever manoeuvring of one of Joachim’s ancestors, who had landed the border kingdom as the first stop between Equestria and Griffonia for the Equestrian Express trade line. The kingdom exploited this advantage ruthlessly, thus explaining the degree of influence it held in the court of the High King it otherwise would not have. This was further enhanced by the Gethrenian kings’ tradition of siding with the High King on most matters of dispute amongst the kingdoms, making them literal kingmakers. In some cases, when their opinions could eventually be swayed, it usually went to the High King’s side. It was the primary reason why Joachim was taken along for the talks in Canterlot despite the other two kingdoms present being major powerhouses of the High Kingdom.
Needless to say, the throne of Gethrenia was one a good many clans would pay dearly in order to have influence over. Therefore, it came as no surprise to Joachim when he finally figured out Goldtooth’s game in introducing him to Karlina. He didn’t entirely mind; Karlina was pleasant company to have around and a welcome distraction from Goldtooth’s ramblings. Bright lass that she was, she had likely figured it all out herself as well, if she hadn’t been told beforeclaw that is. Joachim smiled at the thought. He wasn’t going to commit to anything yet. Marrying the only daughter of a powerful king had its advantages of course, but it would be imprudent not to double check the political landscape before committing to anything. Particularly trying to suss out exactly what gains Goldtooth himself would make out of such an arrangement might be wise. Besides, he didn't feel he was entirely up for the marriage game just yet.
"Is that him down there?"
"Yes, that’s him," Joachim confirmed. "Biped in the silver armour."
"Fascinating! Who's that? And the others?" Karlina asked excitedly.
"I believe that's... Ferix the dragon. Don't know who the dog is. The yellow pegasus is Masquerade of the Crystal Empire. The stag is Whirldwind of the Greenwoods. Not sure who the thestral is… Stellar something."
"Thestral?"
"Grey pony with the bat wings."
"Oh!"
"The strange pony with the lion body I think is… Dethis or something; a Concordian anyway. You're in for quite the show, Princess." Joachim couldn't resist the urge to boast. "Handy down there is one of my finest knights! With him on their team, the orange will carry the day."
"Oh? You sound confident, your Majesty," Karlina said, a sly grin on her face.
"I have good reason to be. I'd trust that human with my life. Have done so, in fact."
"Then care to place a wager?" she asked, eyeing the king levelly, her smile still present. Joachim cocked an eyebrow. As much as a griffon could anyway.
"Gambling, Princess? What would your dearest Queen mother say?"
"Mother isn't here, is she?" Karlina asked rhetorically, glancing over Johan's shoulder at her father. "Or would you rather eat your own words in front of me?" Joachim opened his beak to protest but realised he had let himself be trapped. He put on a smile.
"I stand by what I said. I'll put my claw in for this wager of yours."
"Glad to see you’re a griffon of your word."
"So what are the stakes?"
"We'll get around to that after we see if your knight's team wins; let’s not spoil the fun."
"You may come to regret that, Princess."
"Karlina please," she insisted, smiling.
"...Karlina then," Joachim said, turning his eyes back to the arena below. He was smiling despite himself. Sure, he had just entered a blind bet with unknown stakes with a griffon who might, in fact, be entirely too clever for his own good, but he wasn't concerned, confident as he was that his friend down below could pull it off with dignity and aplomb.
--=--
The look on the thestral’s face as two hundred and ten pounds of heavily armoured Irishman descended upon her was absolutely priceless.
Honestly, she had no excuse really. Sure, she was busy fighting a surprisingly agile diamond dog who could jump his own height and then some like a goddamned, man-sized grasshopper. Sure, the rest of the arena had turned into a confusing mess of flailing limbs and clashing weapons, and sure, there was a dragon between her little duel and where the human had been. But still!
The line-up prior to the umpire giving the signal for the combat to commence was surprisingly complimentary. Whoever did the opposing team’s game plan matched the pegasus’ planning point for point which was awfully convenient. Handy thought it made sense, pairing the griffon against the dragon, flyer against flyer. Ferix had apparently performed poorly against gryphonic opponents in the tournament thus far. Handy had snickered at the subtle implication that the dragon was not all that hot shit in the air. Despite that, he did win, so he could be expected to keep the griffon busy at least.
Handy himself was paired off with Whirlwind. He could see the logic from both ends. If his training with Shortbeak had taught him anything, it was that he had difficulty with those who were faster and more manoeuvrable than him, which Whirlwind almost certainly was. However, everything about the human’s fighting style leant itself towards maximum damage at minimum effort. The deer could probably wear out the human over time, but all Handy really needed was one good hit and the practically unarmoured stag would go down. Meanwhile, the pegasus herself fought the sphinx, who wielded a spear while she had wing blades as her weapon of choice.
This was all well and good, properly thought out and all that. It would guarantee victory over time as the two teams would eventually wear each other down trying to capitalize on everyone’s weaknesses while, at the same time, trying to minimise the other team’s advantages. Handy didn’t have time for that shit though. As he shifted his weight, hefted his shield in his left arm, and held it close to him, his right hand relaxed by his side, telegraphing to Whirlwind that he had every intention of charging the stag which, of course, he did.
The umpire gave his call, and the battle commenced to the cheers of the crowd and distant echo of a storm that had long since passed over them. Handy charged, his vision restricted to only what he could see through his helmet, a tiny sliver of the world containing nothing but the light drizzle of rain, the sawdust, the wood chips strewn on the ground of the arena, and the ungodly assortment of blades bearing down on him as the deer across from him joyfully met his charge. The roar of Ferix to his left and the wing beats of the pegasus to his right echoed amongst the cacophony of noise that assaulted his ears trapped within the metal shell around his head.
Whirlwind and the human met, and the deer suddenly, and with impossible grace, leapt sideways and spun. Handy heard the ringing laughter from the deer as he dodged out of the human’s full-tilt charge. That was perfectly fine with Handy, who kept on running and changed his direction, leaving Whirlwind alone as he landed on the ground, wondering where the hell his quarry was running off to. “Hey! Get back!” Whirlwind shouted over the din of battle as metal clashed against metal and the roar of the dragon drowned out the tumultuous noise with momentary fury.
Handy could just barely make out the hint of amusement in the deer’s voice. He didn’t care because his visor’s field of vision was suddenly taken up by the now fully armoured beast of a dragon and the griffon who was busy hacking away at him from the air with a halberd. The dragon ducked below a two-handed swipe with the axe of the weapon before whipping around and lashing the griffon out of the air with his tail, catching him in the wing and bringing the bird to the ground hard. The griffon recovered quickly and was about to jab at the dragon’s exposed underside with the spike of the weapon, a normally fatal wound for anyone but only an incapacitating one for a dragon. Ferix, the overconfident idiot, took the opportunity to lift his axes into the air to bring down on the griffon, giving the bird all the opportunity he needed to take the human’s team’s heavy hitter out of the running.
Or that would have been the case. The griffon turned at the last moment, spotting the charging human and took a step back to reassess the new threat. Ferix over-swung, stumbling forward and missing his target. The human kept running. The dragon filled his vision, and he had to run to his right and leap over its tail as it struggled to keep balance. The griffon was waiting on the other side of the lizard and swung out with his halberd, hitting the human on the shield and nearly forcing him from his feet, but the human kept his momentum and kept on running. The griffon turned, shouting something and was about to chase after him before a roar from behind him indicated that the griffon had a bigger problem to worry about. Ferix did too because a sudden target-free Whirlwind now flanked the dragon in the side. Handy ignored them, for the thestral was now in front of him. She had the dog pinned to the ground, its mace just out of its reach as it struggled with its other paw to try to push the thestral away. She looked up just in time to see the charging human swing his hammer in an upwards arc.
She pushed off of the dog, wings flapping hurriedly. The black, armoured bat pony ascended in one swift motion, the full force of the hammer missing her midsection and catching her left foreleg instead. She winced and hissed as the impact connected and landed hard, taking a few steps away from the new threat. The dog scrambled and said something Handy didn’t quite catch. He could hear a familiar, feminine shout from behind her. It seemed like somebody was pissed the human went against her game plan. He spared a glance behind him and saw the dog was now moving to engage the griffon in order to relieve Ferix from fighting two foes at once, for the dragon had to deal with the stag who was now literally dancing circles around him, jabbing with his bladed antlers. He spotted the little yellow ball of anger floating somewhere in the background and turned away. Really, Masquerade should be thanking him for upsetting the balance of the teams and making the fight that more interesting. If the shouts of delight from the crowd were any indication, they were enjoying the turnabout immensely.
Now there was just the thestral in front of him. She was lightly armoured despite the heavy barding on her barrel and withers. With light lamellar plating covering her back and flanks, and light, lacquered, black schynbalds covering her legs, it was not nearly a heavy armour as the prince had entertained. She also fought without a helmet which Handy personally found absolutely retarded, considering not having a helmet was exactly how Handy got knocked flat on his ass the first time they had a disagreement.
"Pony," the human said by way of a greeting, with as much contempt as he could muster in his voice. He twirled the warhammer in his hand, its familiar weight now more a comfort than a hindrance.
"Human," the thestral said in response. Her voice was more even and levelled. Her green eyes darted from one part of the human to the other, her wings shuffling in preparation for her next move. The human took a few steps forward, matched by the pony who moved to the side. She moved first, and Handy barely had time to register the fact that the blades on her hoof-boots were descending before he brought his shield up. Sparks flew as the blades were raked across it. The pony landed in front of the human and lunged forward, tackling him in his legs before he could lower his shield and locate her. Handy was knocked to one knee as a leg was taken out from under him. The pony turned, and Handy reacted on instinct, allowing his body to fall to the ground as he kicked out blindly with his other leg. He didn't connect, but the thestral backed off, and Handy rolled once before clambering back to his feet. The pony was on him again, but he swung his hammer around in a short, defensive arc. He caught her in the withers, and she was knocked away. He brought the hammer around again, but she had already moved, her wings flaring and thrusting, pushing her out of the human's reach and lifting up a cloud of dust.
Handy coughed, grateful for the cloth covering of his helmet that kept the dust out of his eyes as he continued following the thestral who was now hovering several feet away from him. He had dented her armour slightly - whatever she was wearing was heavier than it looked. "The prince I had been expecting. Thou, however, thou art just a treat," he said gleefully. She didn't respond to his goading, content to simply hover there. "Tell me, my little pony, why didst thou come? Why art thou not in thy guard armour?" The pair of them was close to the edge of the arena, and the crowd nearest to them started paying them rapt attention as the remainder of the melee battled on.
Stellar landed, her wings still fully extended, both as an instinctive attempt to make herself appear larger and as preparation to take to the air again. "I am not here as a representative of Equestria," she said at length, her eyes still studying him. He found that odd, expecting at least some measure of hardness to come across but couldn't find it. "I came to find you." Handy laughed at that. He held his arms wide open, chuckling.
"Well thou hast certainly found me!" he shouted. The pony, unfortunately, didn't rise to the bait and attempted to attack him while his guard was apparently down. 'Clever girl, saw the trap for what it was… damn.' "But I can't help but ask thee why thou hast sought me out, thou of all people and here of all places?" The pony lunged. Handy ran into the attack, shield first, and swung his hammer upwards, forcing the pony to take to the air before immediately diving at the human again. They exchanged blows for a brief, furious moment, he successfully blocking her hoof blades and bucks with his shield and she dodging out of his relatively slower, more cumbersome hammer strikes. Handy backed off after a particularly furious flurry of blade strikes from the pony lest he have his shield ripped from him. He forgot how nimble the pony was, something she had used to great effect back on the train despite the rather tight economy of space they had had to work with.
"I... have my reasons," she said.
"I am sure. Care to elaborate?"
"One thing first... back on the train?" Her eyes narrowed. "When we were outside on the roof?"
"I find it distinctly hard to forget that moment. What of it?" Handy asked. She took to the air once more, hovering over the human. He held his shield at the ready.
"I was struck and rendered unable to fight."
"A timely intervention, I am sure."
"Why didn't you let me fall off the train?" she asked simply. Handy blinked.
"...What?"
"You heard me," the pony said. She dove at the human again. He raised his shield and prepared to swing his hammer again. She rolled in the air and landed to the side of the human. Handy swung too late, only realizing his mistake when his shield no longer blocked his vision and he spotted her to his left. She barrelled into his legs again, knocking him to the ground fully this time. He was on his back, and so he reached up and tried to bring his hammer to bear. However, it was a poor attempt with no leverage behind it, and a quick swipe of her right hoof blades smacked the arm away. The pony's weight was on his shield, pinning his left arm in place. He was suddenly, keenly aware of the fact his ruined left vambrace was back at his tent, leaving very exposed skin strapped to the shield and the vampire pony who now stood over it. He was suddenly very thankful it wasn't bleeding anymore.
The pony placed her forehooves on his chest to pin him to the ground and leered down at him, and he suddenly felt incredibly anger at the familiar circumstances. She was snarling at him. 'No,' Handy thought, 'you don't get the right to be angry with me.' He let go of his weapon, and his freed right fist crashed against the side of the thestral's head. A sudden pang of guilt shot right through Handy's being at what he had just done, but he crushed the feeling. The thestral was dazed and unsteady on her feet. Handy easily pushed her off of him, and she stumbled to the ground, their fortunes now reversed. He brought his shield up and pressed it down on the pony, pinning her completely to the ground as he put his weight behind it, his hammer now back in his grip. The pony looked up at him, bleary-eyed, and pushed against the shield, causing the human to press down harder, not keen on giving her any chance at bringing her forehooves to bear.
"You little shit!" Handy snarled down at her, dropping his pretentious airs. "You dare, you dare try that again, and I'll—!"
"Then why didn't you back then?" she interrupted, still struggling and, to Handy's surprise, succeeding in pushing against him. Her voice was slurred and her vision unfocused. He had hit her pretty hard, and the steel gauntlet probably made the blow worse than it otherwise would have been. Handy was caught off-guard by the question.
"What are you talking about?"
"You... hate me for what I did to you, right?"
"How could I not!" Handy nearly shouted. He was using his right arm to help keep the pony pinned but prepared to bring the hammer down on her. "You took a part of my humanity away! Do you even comprehend the enormity of what you've done to me? What being a vampire means to a human!?"
"No. No I don't," she admitted, letting up on her attempts to push the human off. She took a few breaths and opened her eyes to look directly at Handy, almost imploringly. "But I know you know what it means. So why didn't you let me die when you had the chance? Why didn't you just throw me off yourself rather than back into the train?"
Handy didn't really have an answer for that and remained silent for several moments. He knew he hadn’t been in his right mind back then, having only just turned and the ingested salamander salve and the blood high he had ran on doing only God knows what to his thought processes. Still, he hadn’t killed her when he had the opportunity then, and he wasn't exactly sure why. The thestral took the opportunity of the human's internal struggle, and in a sudden motion, she managed to lift the shield off of her, Handy's weight and all, long enough for her to roll out from under it. He hit the ground but quickly recovered and came back to his feet. She shook her head, trying to clear it once more before locking eyes with the human.
"So? Why didn't you?" she asked, challenge in her voice now.
"I had my reasons," Handy lied.
--=--
"Yes, I know," 'Crimson' said. The small pendant around her neck pulsed lowly in long, slow bursts of light. She was pacing back and forth, eyeing her saddle packs. This entire operation had been risky. If the human found out, her life was basically forfeit. She knew that risk, but the human was close to something, something that could help the entire changeling race if it could be recovered. She didn't know why the human was close - she doubted even her queen knew - but that was unimportant. The same ponies who were after the human, the same ponies who the very mare she was now impersonating feared so much, the same ponies after the strange deer artefact that now rested in the packs by her flanks were the same ponies in possession of the key they sought, and that was all that mattered.
Or so a little bird had told them. There were so many factors they just did not know, or at least so many that Thorax simply did not know. She had to be content and trust her queen who was watching over her even right now. Quite literally in fact. She sat on her haunches in the dark beneath the stands of the arena, listening to the tumultuous roar of the crowd and the muffled sounds of combat. She was antsy. Being in the festival had been a strange experience. It was a kaleidoscope of emotions. Like walking out of a desert into a thunderous downpour, her senses had been nearly overwhelmed just trying to comprehend the feast that had been practically thrown at her from all directions. She had never felt so full in ages. Sure, it wasn't love, but there was more than enough good feelings directed at her to easily satiate her vampiric needs.
She winced as her queen chastised her for losing focus on her mission and doubled down, searching for any signs of the ponies she needed to find. If they could just identify even one of them, they could work from there to find the rest. She had no luck, only discovering that somepony had been asking questions about a certain 'crown' but failed to isolate the pony in question. Now it was a matter of waiting, keeping up the act, and hoping the human led her where she needed to go. However, he was already getting suspicious, and if she didn't turn up a lead soon—
"Well, well, well." Crimson froze at the voice. She slowly got up and turned around. A garishly dressed earth pony stood in the darkness, framed by light spilling in from cracks in the wood behind him. "I had planned to leave well enough alone, but here you are, with the crown no less."
"What are you doing here?" she asked defensively, taking a few steps back and glancing side to side for an escape route. The underside of the arena stands was a maze of iron supports, wooden dividers, and detritus eager to trip the hooves of anypony who decided to run. It was how she was able to shake off the curious hangers-on of the other fighters in the tournament who wondered where the 'human's little red pony' was wandering off to. Looking back on it, perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to find such a hard-to-reach area to hide out in.
"Come now, Crimson, do you not remember my voice? Tsk, Mistress will be so displeased with your poor memory... amongst other things, you understand," the stallion said, his voice a smooth, lazy tenor.
"I remember," 'Crimson' lied. Backing up, she turned and scowled as she found herself pressed up against a wooden wall. "Stay back," she warned, lowering her head and levelling her horn at the interloper.
"Let’s have none of that. Both of us know more magic than most unicorns can throw. It would be ever so much bother for me to have to shut you down if it came to a shouting match. And you know I would, don't you?" he asked, taking a few steps closer. A bead of sweat broke on Crimson's forehead. She recalled the footage captured by the pendant; what the human had to deal with when the mare she impersonated called upon strange, foul magic. If this stallion could do the same... No, how could he? He was an earth pony after all. Sure, years of practice and even they could do magic, the same way griffons could, but he possessed no horn, and she could see nothing that indicated prepared or ritual magic.
"You're bluffing."
"Oh for goodness sake, don't be such a bother. Come with me now, and you can make this easier on both of us. Mistress would like a word or two with you over your treachery."
"I don't belong to the Mistress anymore..."
"Hmhm, yes, I suppose you think you belong to the human now, do you? Ah, such a shame. Naiveté, how I missed it, but we all must grow up and face reality some time. The human belongs to the Mistress, and in time, you'll see him again once he's hers. Or you won't; it’s no matter to me what Mistress does with you."
"Why would I willingly go with you? We both know she'll just..." Crimson carefully positioned herself, ready to gallop at a moment's notice. She had one shot at this.
"Because you have no choice in the matter. What are you going to do? Run? We'll just hunt you down, especially now when I have you at my hooves. Fetch the human? Hmhm, I've already stacked the odds to make sure he'll be in no condition to help you."
"W-What do you mean?"
"Let's just say Mistress won't be pleased with the few expenses I had to charge regarding some missing gems. But when I bring you in, it'll all be worth it." He took another few steps closer. It was now or never. He was whispering something harsh and sibilant under his breath, and Crimson could suddenly see her breath as the temperature dropped. There was a bright green flash, and the stallion screwed his eyes shut, grunting in pain. He rubbed them with a fetlock and glared at the pony before him.
"Really!?" he hissed at her. The mare just stood there, her expression neutral. He spat some non-language, dripping with hate and malice as his eyes glowed a bright green, and the air around him rushed forward. Two cutting bursts of air ran through the vision of Crimson in front of him, dispelling the illusion and cracking the wood behind it. He could hear several shouts of alarm from the festival goers seated above them as the wood groaned audibly from the attack. Thunder nickered in anger and looked about, seeing the brown tail of his quarry disappear around a wooden divider. Now he would have to chase the blasted mare down before she went and called the guards or some nonsense like that. Shame. He clicked his teeth.
"Such bother."
--=--
"Stellar Eclipse," she said, grunting as the hammer finally made a decent connection, striking her full on the barrel.
"Thank you," Handy said, mentally putting her near the top of his shit list, just a few steps below whoever was Crimson's ex-mistress since she was the one who had brought him to this world in the first place. He gripped the hammer in both hands. His shield, still being strapped to his left arm, made it awkward, forcing him to let go with his left hand mid-swing, else risking messing up the attack altogether. However, the advantages of using both hands to help initiate a heavier attack more than made up for it.
The pony landed on the ground again, her chest piece dented but not abnormally so. Evidently, she had prepared for this fight. But not enough. A solid blow had disabled one of her boots, rendering it warped and useless. She took it off, leaving her with only one bladed boot to use. Handy's helmet had been ripped from his head from one of the thestral's aerial tackles where she had latched on to his back. Handy spotted something shiny and purple on the underside of her hoof as she moved. She caught him looking and frowned. "You'll never get close enough," he taunted, figuring it was some holdout weapon for just such an occasion when her hoof blades were disabled.
She smiled and began stalking, circling around him and keeping low to the ground like a big cat ready to pounce. 'Really?' Handy thought. 'Do you seriously think that's going to work? You have wings, woman, use them. Because if you don't...' He didn't bother moving, instead staying still with his shield raised, waiting for her to come to him. The rest of the melee seemed to continue unabated, but he saw sluggishness in Ferix's actions as he turned. The dragon was getting tired since the idiot didn't know when to conserve his energy. Luckily for him, the dog suddenly attacked the deer and that left the griffon alone with the dragon, who turned to deal with the slower opponent. He sniffed the air. A few cuts here and there - the others were clearly wearing down too. He'd best finish this thestral off before any of the others finished their duels and made to help him and steal him of his vengeance.
"So, what are your other reasons?" Handy asked as the mare continued circling him.
"Hm?" she said, just loud enough for him to hear.
"You said you had other reasons for wanting to find me. What were they?"
"I don't particularly care to share," she said. She lunged, and Handy jerked forward shield-first, swiping around and upwards with his hammer, wise to the mare's game. She leapt to the side to avoid the hammer. Handy kicked out, forcing her back. He advanced and swung his shield out as if to strike her, leaving a false opening. She leapt for the bait.
'Bad move.' Handy waited until the pony was practically on him before swinging his hammer around, now held by the head, and punched her in the wing joint. She collided bodily with him but let out a roar of pain as she rolled off of him on the ground. Now he had disabled her ability to fly for now if the jerky, unnatural way her left wing was flapping was any indication. She hissed with the pain as she tested her wing, folding it gently to her side. He frowned at that. She could still use it which meant he hadn't hit it nearly as hard as he intended. However, she wasn't flying on that wing any time soon which was just fine with the human.
He rolled his shoulders. A triumphant roar behind him drew his attention, and he turned briefly, seeing the dragon holding the unconscious body of the griffon aloft. He turned back. It had only been half a second, but Stellar was gone. He whirled around with his hammer to his right, instinctively fearing another flanking manoeuvre. Apprehension crept along his skin as she wasn't there. He had misjudged! He turned on the spot, shield first. Hoof blades curled down and latched onto the rim of the shield as he felt a weight land there. He was now eye to eye with the mare as she landed on him. His eyes widened in surprise as her free hoof pressed against the underside of his jaw. There was a sharp burning sensation, and he yelled in pain and threw his arm wide, sending the pony pirouetting off of his shield. He rubbed underneath his chin and glared at the pony who now stood before him and stared, her expression neutral and focused.
"What was that?" he hissed accusingly at her. He felt the skin with his uncovered hand of his shield arm. He couldn't feel anything there, but it felt as if she had burned him somehow. Fear seized him before his rational mind took control. 'Relax,' he told himself. 'It wasn't fire; you'd already be dead if it was. Be cool.' "What did you just do!?"
"You said I wouldn't get close enough," she said, her smile returning. "I took it as a challenge." That was it, no more playing defensive. Handy readied his hammer and advanced on the pony. She couldn't fly, and he wasn't going to let her out of his sight. He lunged forward, malice clear in his eyes. She tried to dodge, but her injured wing shot out on reflex, and she yelped in sudden pain. Handy capitalised on the distraction and brought his hammer around, catching her in the side of the chest. The armour deformed, and he heard her shout in further pain before she lashed out with her bladed hoof to force the human to back off.
She put some distance between them. The armour was dented and had taken most of the force, but she was visibly winded. 'You're mine now,' he thought. Another roar, and he could make out the heavy wing beats of the dragon. It seemed like Ferix was heading this way. He didn't turn around. If ever he had extra incentive to finish off this thestral, he had it now. That overgrown gecko wouldn't be taking this from him. The thestral looked over his shoulder, and he could practically see the colour drain from her face despite the grey fur. She looked back at him and seemed to sag, resigning herself to her fate.
"For what it’s worth, and I know it probably doesn't mean much now, I am sorry for what I did to you."
"I'm getting a lot of apologies today," Handy said, thinking of Blueblood earlier that day. Last he heard, the prince was already on a chariot back to Equestria, spurning the griffon king's offer of overseeing his healing. "You're going to have to do better than that."
"Yeah... I guess I do..." she said as she backed up almost against the edge of the arena. If the human didn't get her, the dragon would. Might as well face her fate like a mare. She closed her eyes. Handy raised his hammer high-
--=--
Stellar opened her eyes at the sound of the hammer hitting the ground. She looked up as the human fell to his knees before her, his face was a mask of confusion, shock, and pain. He tried to reach up behind his back, trying to grasp at something, but his armour denied him the mobility. Her nostrils flared at a familiar blood scent. The human fell face first, and she saw a terrible rent in the back of his armour going diagonally from his left shoulder to his waist, fresh blood trickling from the gash in his flesh and mixing with the sundered mail and torn padding of his armour. She looked up to see the looming dragon and his blood-stained axe, and her mind boggled to try to make sense of what she was seeing.
"So much for the dragon slayer!" Ferix said triumphantly. There were shouts of foul play from the crowd around him, and he growled at them.
"What are you doing!?" Stellar shouted, confused more than anything. "He was on your team!" The dragon leered down at the tiny pony, staring death at her.
"What of it?" he said, levelling his axe at her. She flared her wings instinctively but immediately regretted it, wincing as she furled her injured one back to her side. "What do you care anyway? It’s me you should be worried about," he said, grinning widely as he went to swing his axe at her. She dove out of the way, the axe missing the top of her head by an inch and shaving a lock from her mane. The dragon turned and its tail smashed into her, crashing into the wooden panelling of the arena wall. Everything hurt, and she coughed up some blood as she slumped to the ground.
She struggled to push herself up as the dragon turned around. The human was at his feet, and she could just about make out that he was moving his arms. So, he was alive; that was nice she guessed. Being alive was nice. She coughed again, and then re-evaluated the value of being alive as she felt something pressing against her lung. She really hoped that wasn't a broken rib. The dragon walked over to her as she struggled to her feet, wheezing as she did so. She wasn't going to get away in time, and she knew it. Ferix snorted as he prepared to kick the mare to send her flying.
A blur of motion ran into the dragon's side, and it roared in fury, swinging its axe down. Stellar blinked. The stag's bladed horns were bloodied, and he saw tears in the young dragon's scales along its side. The deer was standing a few feet away from the reptile, its feet spread wide and head lowered in preparation for another strike. The normally jubilant stag was stone-faced and wore a severe expression, and he didn't so much as flinch when the dragon roared at him. Stellar watched on, almost on the verge of collapsing under her own weight. The other fighters had more or less stopped their fight to see what the confusion was. The dog Whirlwind had been fighting was on the ground, pushing himself up. The remaining sphinx and pegasus hovered into the air, trying to understand what had happened as the deer began engaging the dragon.
Slowly, she pushed her way over to the human as the deer and dragon continued their fight, trying to see if her mission was no longer relevant. If the human ended up dying then and there, well... well shit, she guessed. 'Come on,' she thought, wincing with each step. The dragon had been led away, trying to strike down the deer who was busy jumping and swiping at the fire-breathing beast with his incredibly dangerous antlers. Reaching the human, she saw he was no longer moving. "Hey," she said, coughing, nudging his head with her hoof. There was a noncommittal noise in response, followed by a long, drawn out gurgle of pain as his fingers clenched, grasping at the ground. Alive then, definitely alive. At least her efforts hadn't been for naught.
Looking up, the sphinx and pegasus resumed their fighting, and the umpire seemed to be having an argument with official-looking griffons waving pieces of paper around while a pair of white-tunic griffons ascended from somewhere beyond the arena, carrying a litter and flying towards the human. The dog, meanwhile, seemed to simply be standing there as if contemplating something, not particularly paying attention to either of the remaining fights but instead just looking at both her and the fallen human.
All of that was suddenly rendered irrelevant as the world exploded around her.
Stellar pressed herself against the ground and covered her head as a wave of heat washed over her, followed by raining debris. Her ears rang as she shook her head, pushing herself back to her hooves. Her vision was dazed, and her fur stood on end. The air was suddenly charged with electricity, reminding her of a thunderstorm. The arena was in chaos, both ponies and griffons hurriedly stampeding and taking flight in a panic, some falling from the stands into the arena itself. The combatants broke off their fights and turned, facing Stellar's direction. There was a red pony on the ground a few feet away from her, sprawled and whimpering as her hearing slowly came back.
"Why couldn't you have simply come along quietly?" She slowly turned around. The wall of the arena behind her was blown wide open, revealing the interior beneath the stands. Several of the seats above had been blown apart, and she could see griffons and ponies trying to move the injured away. At the centre of the mess stood a stallion garishly dressed with an almost bored expression on his face. His green eyes, literally glowing green, were slightly furrowed in annoyance. He stepped into the arena, his eyes locked on the red unicorn before he stopped and turned to look at the human. He frowned. "I paid your way here to keep him busy, not kill him," he said, directing his ire at the dragon. Ferix snorted.
"He isn't dead... yet," he said with a chortle.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Masquerade demanded, landing behind the dragon. He spared her half a glance over his wing. She was the worse for wear with her fight with the sphinx as he landed next to her. There were a lot of griffons in the air now, armoured and armed, mostly congregated around one of the towers. Stellar figured they were getting the king out of here before anything further happened.
"None of your concern, madam. Now, if you would be ever so kind as to back off?" he asked as he approached the red mare. Stellar made to stand up and face him. The stallion glanced out of the corner of his eye at her and muttered something. A glowing green pattern wormed down his right foreleg to the ground and shot across the earth towards her. She barely had time to react before the earth came alive, and two rocky growths erupted from the ground, curled around her, and pulled her to the ground, holding her in place. She yelped as pain shot through her chest once more. Yeah, there was definitely a broken rib in there somewhere.
Crimson got up, groaning and hurrying away from the stallion. The dragon planted its foot on the ground and growled at her, causing her to pause.
"I believe we've had enough of you!" Whirlwind said, stomping his hooves and aiming his blades at the dragon, "Not only have you turned on your teammate but now an innocent bystander!" Ferix gave him an unamused glare before parting his jaw slowly as fire built up within. Whirlwind's face dropped before he used that deer-like agility and speed that had served him so well before and quickly got out of the way of the torrent of flame that erupted from the dragon's maw. Ferix, it seemed, was quite done playing fair.
"Don't just spew fire everywhere like an uncivilized— Oh bother, suit yourself then," the garish stallion said as he walked closer to the red mare. The griffons in the air began circling the stadium, some flying in to attack the dragon, assisted by the fighters on the ground. Ferix didn't even bother trying to fight conventionally and just fended them off with gouts of flame. Crimson turned to look at the approaching stallion, eyes wide with fear, her path blocked by a wall of fire. She desperately searched for a way out. Her eyes widened further when she spotted the prone human crawling towards the arena wall.
"Sir! Handy!" she shouted, trying to rouse the human to somehow help the changeling from the immediate danger. The human didn't respond, and she gritted her teeth and swallowed her pride, "Master!" she cried. "Help!" The human turned to look at her, propping himself up against the arena wall. His face bore a confused expression as if trying to comprehend the scene that was unfolding before him. The stallion paused to look back and clicked his teeth before returning his attention to Crimson.
"That’s enough of that now. Come along you." He muttered something that hurt Crimson's ears to hear. They flattened against her head as she flinched involuntarily. Her vision swam and her legs were unresponsive, black circles closing in on the edges of her vision before she fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. There was the clink of metal and a rush of feathery wings as half a dozen griffon soldiers descended into the arena, surrounding Thunder.
"Stay right there!" one of the armoured griffons shouted, levelling a crossbow at the pony.
"Oh, of course!" Thunder replied, the hat he wore concealing his eyes as he lowered his head. "Look, I'll even raise my hooves in the air to show I am not a threat." He smiled lazily as he reared up, his forehooves in the air.
"No! Stop, don't move!" a griffon shouted as a gust of wind picked up, increasing in severity and force around the pony.
"Vasicum os fekir!" He slammed his hooves on the ground, and bolts of lightning shot out from where his hooves connected with the ground and struck all six griffons in the centre of their bodies. The birds spasmed and collapsed to the ground. Thunder sighed and trotted over to Crimson's unmoving body. Strange, slimy tendrils of magic emerged from the hoarfrost that quickly covered the ground beneath her body and wrapped her into a cocoon of magical energy. He looked up at the rampaging dragon, now lost in a battle rage, and shook his head in disappointment. "Ah well, if nothing else, it'll provide good cover for me. Time to go."
--=--
"I'm fine!" Joachim said, pushing his knights away from him once they had landed outside the limits of the tent city. He turned and looked at the quickly growing plume of smoke arising from the tournament arena at its heart and gritted his teeth. "Go back."
"What?" Godfrey asked.
"Get Handy out of there," he ordered. The knights nodded before taking to the air with their comrades and flying back to the arena.
"Why are you sending your retinue away?" Goldtooth asked, keeping his daughter close to him under his wing. Joachim spared him a glance. "It’s just one knight, and he's not even a griffon."
"That one knight saved my life and my kingdom." Joachim turned, levelling a claw at the king. He was about to open his beak in response before a warning glare from the younger king cut him off. "I am not just going to leave him to die. Now, mobilize the guard of Ironcrest."
"You dare presume—"
"Look at that!" Joachim shouted, pointing at the festival, the panicking crowds, and collapsing tents as confused and scared ponies and griffons stampeded. "Griffons are going to die if you don't get that under control!" Goldtooth rotated his jaw. Johan could tell he wanted to argue but saw reason beginning to prevail in his eyes.
"Fine," Goldtooth agreed before barking orders to several of his own knights, some flying off to Ironcrest and others to the festival. Goldtooth took off to Ironcrest as well. "Come along, Karlina," he said, taking flight. The princess made to follow but hesitated for a moment, looking out of the corner of her eye at Johan before taking flight herself.
Joachim was then left alone with only two Firthengarian guards to keep him safe as his knights went back to save his friend. He wanted to go himself, but the thoughts of Handy berating him for the Canterlot fiasco still ran through his mind. He was the king and the last of his line. Handy would not thank him for getting himself killed.
Still...
"Come on!" he ordered the guards before taking flight. The soldiers, confused at their charge's sudden movement, could only follow suit as he flew towards the tent city.
--=--
Stellar cringed from her position on the arena floor. She remembered what that had felt like. She had been supercharged on the human's blood at the time when she had gotten hit by one such bolt, and it had knocked her right out. She did not envy the poor griffons. The sound of movement and heavy breathing behind her drew her attention, and her ears flicked to listen closely.
"Hey!" she said, unable to turn around to get a better look. "Is that you, human? You alive?"
"Fuck... off."
"I would love to," she growled at him. "Kind of tied up at the moment. Listen, we're in trouble here."
"I noticed..."
"So if you could, I don't know, maybe do something?" she hissed in desperation. The dragon was still spouting gouts of fire, preventing crossbow griffons from getting a good line of sight before another stream of fire was sent their way. A good portion of the stands were now ablaze along with several towers. The human groaned in pain.
"I can barely feel my legs… grrugh... fuck this hurts. What the fuck do you think I can do!? And who the hell is that?" Handy growled out in response. Stellar looked over at the white-blue coated stallion.
"No idea," she said
"He's using old magic..."
"What?"
"Nothing— NNnuurrg!"
"What? What’s wrong?"
"Woman, I almost had my spine chopped in half, and I am bleeding like a gutted pig. What do you think is wrong with me!?" He breathed heavily and looked up at the sky, which was quickly becoming blocked by black smoke. There were griffons everywhere. He didn't spot Gethrenian colours, which meant his comrades had enough sense to get Joachim out of the field of fire this time. That was nice.
The rampaging inferno that was quickly growing about the place, however, was not. A horned form was sent flying through the air, over the flames, and landed on the ground about five feet from where Handy lay. Whirlwind struggled back to his hooves, barely managing to stand. After a fall like that, Handy was surprised the fragile-looking deer was still alive. His vision started to fade, his breath came in ragged bursts, and he soon became a lot more concerned with the fact that he wasn't going to be alive much longer. "Bluh... blood...."
Stellar's ears flicked at his words, her eyes not leaving the fire that was quickly spreading towards them. If they didn't burn alive, they were going to die from the smoke and heat. "What?" she shouted. The sounds of battle could still be heard, but the wall of fire blocked the dragon from her sight. The stallion had also disappeared.
"I need... blood..." he repeated. Stellar ground her teeth together and tried to push upwards. The rock held her firmly in place, and her chest exploded in pain at her movements. An idea came to her, one that might save their flanks... if it didn't kill her first that was.
"Bite me," she said. The human didn't respond immediately but just turned to look at her. After a few seconds, she sighed explosively. "Look, just do it, or we'll both die here!"
"Really? Because I count three of us!" the jovial voice of the stag coughed.
"Who's there?" Stellar shouted, frustrated that her stony prison prevented her from seeing behind her.
"I'm here!" Whirlwind said in response, grinning through a dirtied and bloodied snout, singed fur, and what looked to be a broken point on his left antler.
"How can... you still be smiling?" Handy asked.
"Well, frowning certainly never gets anything done!" he said happily before doing just that, frowning when he saw Handy and the distressing amount of blood pooling beneath him. "Oh..."
"Yeah... oh..."
"Are you—?"
"Nnnope..."
"... are you gonna—?"
"Yyyyep..."
A crashing noise resounded as the stands collapsed in on themselves, filling up the hole the mysterious, gaudy stallion had blown wide open with wood and metal, blocking their one way out of the ring of fire via the underside of the arena.
"Oh, that’s just bucking great!" Stellar shouted. Handy coughed. "Well!?"
"Well what!?" Handy growled back.
"Are you going to take my offer or just die there like a useless bucking animal!? Or maybe your deer friend there could lift all three of us out of here?"
"Just so you know.... I kinda can't lift both of you," Whirlwind added helpfully, blissfully unaware of the gravity of what the pony and the human were bickering about. Handy gave him the unamused look only a dying man could give. He could feel his strength leave him but still struggled against giving in. Mind you, it was not that he didn't want to drain the mare of her life's blood. In fact, that had a lot of appeal to him, doubly so since it had nearly been a full week since he had fed, and having the blood of a sapient being once again... well, that should have made the decision a no-brainer. What was holding him back was a niggling doubt at the back of his mind that he couldn't quite pin down. Eventually, reason and ravenous hunger prevailed against caution, and he raised his hand, gesturing to Whirlwind.
"Help me up. I need to get over to her," he said. Stellar flinched.
"Why?" the stag asked, tilting his head and allowing Handy to place his arm around his neck before grabbing onto his antler with his other arm. He felt himself being lifted as the stag practically dragged the human over to the pony.
"She has... something I need." Handy practically collapsed on the ground next to Stellar. The pony looked at him with her bright, green eyes as he pushed himself to his elbows. Whirlwind looked up and turned. He seemed to be trying to spot something. "Just so you know," Handy began, his voice just low enough so the thestral could hear, "this changes nothing." Stellar looked away.
"Just do it. We'll worry about that when we aren't about to die by dragon fire," she said resolutely. Handy glared at her for a long moment before he placed his hand on her withers as he pulled himself closer. She flinched under his touch, then steeled herself. The position and angle was awkward, but they made do. He lowered himself onto the back of her neck, pushing her medium length black mane out of the way as he searched for her artery with his fangs, gently scraping the flesh and causing her to give an involuntary shiver, pausing only when he was sure he found his mark. He plunged down, piercing her flesh and drinking greedily. She gasped sharply at the pain as her body seized up involuntarily before... slowly relaxing, her eyes drooping ever so slightly as a strange sensation overcame her and clouded her mind.
The pain and aches of her body were forgotten as he fed on her warm, rich blood, the taste of rosemary and thyme mixing in with the familiar taste of thestral blood, that smoky, whiskey-like flavour, the bright sensation that filled his mind, and also the scent of... lilacs? That was different. Perhaps everyone had their own unique flavour to go along with the species the blood tasted of? He didn't know, for this wasn't the time to be thinking about it. He just stayed there, feeling indescribable strength and vitality flood his body. A strange sensation tingled across his back over the wound the dragon had given him, and he could feel his legs once more.
He was caught up in his feeding, absentmindedly suckling at the neck wound before a voice snapped his attention back to reality. "Mhuwhat?" he mouthed, withdrawing from the barely conscious pony's neck. He looked up and saw the shocked face of Whirlwind staring back at him. His fur was just that bit paler as colour drained from his face in the impossible fashion of the creatures of this world. Handy got to his knees, and Whirlwind took a step back. "Oh, get over it, Whirlwind," Handy said, feeling strength in his extremities and an incredible urge to use it. The deer looked at the thestral.
"What did you do?"
"What she wanted me to do," he said simply. The pony whimpered at his feet.
"And that was...?"
"Guess," Handy said, not in a mood to explain to the stag that yes, the human was in fact a blood sucking vampire just like the rumours said. He walked past the troubled stag, revelling in the use of his legs. He picked up his fallen hammer and helmet, placing it over his head.
"Hey!" Whirlwind said, drawing his attention. "Help me here; you can't just leave her trapped like this." Handy considered the prone thestral for a moment and the stag's assertion that he couldn’t do what he certainly very well could do. What he may have wanted to do, even. He traipsed over to the pony and kicked the stone bars holding her down with his leg, the vampiric strength causing the stone to give way easily. Stellar groaned.
"You said you can't carry both of us right?" Handy asked. "You can carry her though, right?"
"Yeah, I could," Whirlwind said, eyeing the human cautiously now. The human picked up the limp body of the pony and placed her across the stag's back before turning away and searching along the walls, finding a section of the stands that wasn’t burning down or collapsed yet, and proceeded to break down the wall with impossible speed and strength, his hammer breaking through the weakened wood relentlessly. After breaking through, he stepped through the now brightly lit underside of the arena. Dark orange flames danced at the edges of his vision, and he felt an incredible, almost animalistic fear threaten to overcome him before he crushed it, focusing on the objective at hand. The underside was filled with smoke blocking all possible clear vision, so he had to carefully pick his way over the debris below, kicking it out of the way. He felt the smog fill his lungs but found himself not bothered by it. He broke through the other side of the arena and shouted back.
"Alright, come on through here. I've cleared the way!" he shouted. A few moments later, the deer came galloping through the smoke and out the far side of the arena, coughing and spluttering. But safe. "Come find me once this is over," Handy said. "We need to find that pony with the weird magic," he said as he turned back into the arena.
"Where are you going?" Whirlwind coughed. Handy turned away, a grim smile playing beneath his silver helm as the light drizzle of rain continued to fall over the ruins of the arena.
"Earning one of my names," Handy said simply before disappearing into the smoke. "I'm going to kill a dragon."
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DAYUM!
Fuck yeah! Time to kick ass and chew bubblegum!
Oh, I just can't wait until the next chapter, when Feris will get his much deserved trashing by Handy.
Compliments on yet another compelling and interesting chapter. Keep up the marvelous work!
Next chapter, Handy be like: "I'm back, bitches!"
I love it when even the villain's plans go down the toilet. Great chapter!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH
thanks for the update!!
hped up on blood has a grudge and pissed off hand going to make a dragon scale vest out of that freak.
Hey Ferix, guess what time it is?
IT'S HAMMER TIME, BITCH!
This needed to be here.
4557589
You mean Ferix right?
So I am just waiting for Handy to plunge his jaw into the neck of Ferox. Would be amazing payback, though also very anti-climatic.
I never really asked this in the editing process, but was Ferix's name inspired by Ferrovax, by any chance?
4571000 Yes. It, along with alot of things in BM, is a tip of a hat to other things rather than direct inspirations.
4571194 Well, then I can now ask of what you thought of Skin Game? That is, if you've read it.
4574821 Haven't read it yet, can't really comment.
4575097 Then go read it, mate! It's awesome, but then again, what Dresden Files aren't? Holy Butters, Batman. You'll get that sentence once you've read it.
4557462 Language
4558491 Dragon scales make for excellent protective gear.
4559150 I always get shivers when I listen to this.
4558798 Can't touch this.
4557950 A suitable and accurate summation.
4570715 A fair number of people want me to have Handy bite into Ferix's neck, just to see what happens to the human when he has dragon's blood in his system. Time will tell.
4558182
4558456
4557998
4557589 My thanks, glad you all enjoyed it.
4544590 Aheh, I am glad you are enjoying it thus far and thanks for the compliment, but I doubt I am on par with published, professional writers just yet. Still I appreciate the comment.
4583825
It's like the official soundtrack for dragonslayers everywhere.
4557950 Right, that's officially the official name of the next official chapter.
4622201 You, sir, have helped me find a picture I have been looking all over for.
I love you, with all potential homo that there potentially could be.
That dragon has it coming. Handy better stick his fangs into Ferix.
4622227 no problem, here's a tip: if you want pictures of the wierd or whacky veraity look on divianart.
cdn.meme.li/instances/500x/52755551.jpg
4702811 So...when am I due the next chapter?
4720136 Implying that you aren't reading this amazing story...
thumb-down
4720555 Be nice, Terminal. Also you'll have the chapter soon.
4720557
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9s72v0ukT1ro2xth.gif
And, yey.
4720555 I'm not implying.
I actually do not, infact, read HiE stories from authors whom are in the 'Humans are Superior' group, 80-90% of the authors in that group write stories that I don't like, whether it be the plot, grammar, or the Gary-Stu Syndrome in them or something else or a combination of the (but not limited to)above.
That said, that said.
4720557 No offence, although, I won't stop you if you do take.
I felt a tingle in my penis at the blood-sucky part
Oh...well forget that last comment then.
Y'know, I feel bad for Crimson. She has the worst luck. So bad that even a changeling impersonating her can feel it.
Oh the benifits of being late to the party. I don't have to wait to see this.
That chapter was pretty good.. but then that guy, Thunder, showed up. Openly.
I know.
Everything about him is a bother. He sucked the fun out of the tournament. He stole the Thunder.
My beef is that he's too overpowered, blase and lazy so it makes his scenes boring to read.
5031766 In the times of darkness, when not even griffons, ponies, deer, or Handy can withstand Thunder's mighty power, only one man can rise up and bring him down.
That man is....
SHEIKY BABY!
cdn.meme.li/instances/47220221.jpg
His answer to "why" should have been:
"It's called 'honor.' I am unsurprised you have not heard of it--- ambusher. Backstabber. blood thief."
4720136
Sturgeon's Law. That is all.
4720557 <looks at title of chapter>
hmm...
As
Incredibly angery/incredible anger
This is currently my 4th favorite story, but I don't know, it seems like it's about to move up a space. Or, maybe, even two...
OK... this has now been promoted to one of my all time favorite stories.
Epic....
"Earning one of my names," Handy said simply before disappearing into the smoke. "I'm going to kill a dragon."
Is good
6643675 [youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7oE9_ivE394]
5813536 not many people respect it but i do, keep up the good work, we will always need a diligent word checker
Meanwhile, as Ferix began to charge Handy, the expensive brick started playing Ballroom Blitz.
He's going to Doom-guy the dragon, right?
I'm so excited!
I'm ready for him to rip out its heart and shove it down it's fucking throat! WOOOOO!!!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DB1uqOaY61w